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Leicester City under-23s returned to the top of the Premier League 2 table as Shinji Okazaki’s header sealed a 1-1 draw at Chelsea on Sunday.

Okazaki was not the only senior player called upon with Andy King and Caglar Soyuncu also selected.

And all eyes were on Soyuncu, who could step in for his first-team debut against Huddersfield next weekend with Wes Morgan suspended.

However, on this evidence, Claude Puel will turn to Jonny Evans. Soyuncu played 90 minutes, but struggled, particularly in the first half when he often relied on centre-back partner Josh Knight, goalkeeper Viktor Johansson or Chelsea’s wastefulness to bail him out.

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Moments later, Soyuncu gave the ball away making a simple pass across the back, but did recover to block the shot.

Knight, meanwhile, enjoyed an excellent game producing several key interceptions and blocks, including one superb challenge early on to deny Daishawn Redan from 10 yards, the Chelsea attacker fluffing his lines with the rebound.

Checkatrade Trophy hero Ryan Loft had prodded wide and King had shot straight at the Chelsea keeper, but it was the hosts who were on top. Hudson-Odoi bent an effort just past the far post, then Johansson denied Lucas Piazon one-on-one after the Brazilian had easily eluded Soyuncu’s lunge.

On the half-hour Chelsea grabbed their deserved lead. Left-back Callum Elder clumsily bundled over Tariq Lamptey in the corner of the box and Hudson-Odoi confidently swept home the spot-kick.

Bournemouth 4-2 Leicester City

Chelsea continued to press and roles were reversed at the back as Soyuncu made a crucial tackle to help out Knight, who had dived in.

City’s best chance of the first half came just before the interval, Fousseni Diabate’s clean strike from a cleared corner was blocked on the goal-line, Hamza Choudhury expertly snuffing out the Chelsea counter-attack that followed.

City produced a much more confident display in the second period and were almost gifted an equaliser when Chelsea stopper Marcin Bulka miscontrolled a back-pass that nearly crossed his own goal-line.

Diabate then fired wide after good link-up with Okazaki, before the Japanese international ballooned a diving header over from six yards, Elder’s cross deserving a better finish.

Soyuncu improved in the second half, producing a more assured defensive display. But he was still guilty of giving the ball away, nearly handing the hosts an immediate reply but for Johansson diving out to save Billy Gilmour’s shot.

It was not just Soyuncu that underperformed, with fellow senior pro King frustrated in the middle of the park, the Welshman picking up a yellow card for lashing out towards the end.

The game died down in the final 20 minutes, with the best chances for a winner falling the way of substitute Callum Wright. He headed wide from an inviting Knight cross, then took too long to shoot on a late breakaway.